How do I check the tools and styling equipment stylists own versus the salon?

Walk the salon with the seller and a notepad. Note the big items first: chairs, wash basins, dryers, mirrors and trolleys. Then the smaller kit that matters just as much to the people using it: shears, clippers, flat irons. Ask each stylist, through the seller, what is theirs. A stylist who owns their tools can take them the day they leave.

Check whether anything is leased, financed or still owed to a supplier. Ask for the lease or financing papers and have your lawyer confirm whether a lender holds a claim over any item. Look at the condition of what is staying. Worn chairs or failing dryers mean replacement costs soon after you take over.

Ask how stylists who rent a chair or station are arranged. Their equipment arrangement may sit in an agreement that you inherit. Make sure the purchase documents list exactly what transfers, item by item, so there is no argument on closing day. Photograph the items and attach the list to your notes, so that any later disagreement is easy to settle against what you both saw.

Key takeaways

• Build an item-by-item list of what the salon owns and what each stylist owns.
• Ask whether any equipment is leased or financed.
• Make the transfer list part of the purchase documents, signed by both sides, so closing day has no surprises.
• Look at the condition of what stays, not just the count.